Wahab Riaz: “We want to give due respect to red-ball performers in domestic cricket. Khurram has done really well and improved in the past three years. He ended the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the highest wicket-taker”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan chief selector Wahab Riaz said fast bowler Khurram Shahzad earned his call-up to the national team for the three-match Test series against Australia.
Shahzad made his debut in the first Test in Perth and did well as he picked up five wickets.
He missed the rest of the series after suffering a rib stress fracture and abdominal muscle tear.
Wahab noted that Shahzad has improved a lot over the past three years and was the highest wicket-taker in the 2023 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
In that domestic first-class tournament, the 24-year-old from Mandi Bahauddin took 36 wickets in eight matches for Faisalabad Region at an average of 20.30.
“We want to give due respect to red-ball performers in domestic cricket. Khurram has done really well and improved in the past three years. He ended the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the highest wicket-taker,” Wahab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan ended up losing the Test series against Australia 3-0 and will now play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which starts on January 12 in Auckland.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
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